Tua Tagovailoa's health even more important after Dolphins agree to add former bust as backup

Wilson didn't take a snap last season after a disastrous three-season run with the Jets, who selected him with the No. 2 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

In 34 career games (33 starts), Wilson has thrown for 6,293 yards (6.3 yards per attempt), 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Per Stathead, he has the worst completion percentage (57%) among 51 quarterbacks with at least 500 pass attempts since 2021. 

Since 2022, Tagovailoa has suffered multiple head injuries and missed 10 games. The Dolphins are 3-7 in those games, compared to 25-16 in his 41 starts.

Miami is nothing without its quarterback. By signing Wilson as Tagovailoa's backup, the front office has put the Dolphins in same position it's been in their three seasons under head coach Mike McDaniel.

When healthy, Tagovailoa has been among the league's most productive quarterbacks. In 2022, he led the league in touchdown rate (6.3%) and yards per attempt (8.9). In 2023, he had a league-high 4,624 passing yards, followed last season with the top completion percentage (72.9%).

Miami would be a legitimate playoff contender if it could count on Tagovailoa being healthy for a full season. It might have still considered itself playoff-caliber with a better backup quarterback.

As a former No. 2 pick, Wilson has more upside than previous Dolphins backups, including Skylar Thompson, Teddy Bridgewater and Tyler Huntley. But based on past performance, he's a downgrade from Huntley, a 2025 unrestricted free agent who started five games last season and was 86-of-133 (64.7%) for 829 yards (6.2 yards per attempt), three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Considering Tagovailoa's concerning injury history, Wilson has a chance of starting in 2025. For a Dolphins squad with playoff aspirations, they should have aimed higher when addressing their need at backup quarterback. By settling for Wilson, they might have resigned themselves to a bleak fate.